Which Cable Makes the Biggest Impact?

Knownothing said, “your system as a whole is only as good as its weakest point.”

IMO, the only way that theory could hold water is if every element of a given system performed the same functions, addressed the same shortcomings, and provided the same benefit characteristics when rectified. In other words if all of a system’s components were playing in the same silo then perhaps.

But they don’t. Rather, each component has its own part of the vineyard with very little overlap into other parts of the vineyard. Perhaps it is better to look at a system like a human body. Every part of the human body is created to perform certain functions. Obviously when a certain body part fails or breaks away there can be some limited support and compensation from other parts but there are most always serious limitations inherent with the substitute. For example, a blind person using his fingertips to read Braille will never get his fingertips to see the color red.

-IMO

High priest--you're back!

Hey, Psychic!! But if you really were you would have known that I never left. :)

"For example, a blind person using his fingertips to read Braille will never get his fingertips to see the color red"

Touche Stenho! You either missed the sixties or were very, very focused...;o)

My system has a long way to go before it approaches the elegance of the human body.

For those here that spin vinyl.Two years ago I experienced an incredible leap forward in musical performance with a purchase of V.P.I.s Signature tonearm wired with Nordost Valhalla along with a Nordost Frey interconnect from the junction box to my phonostage. This particular wire used in this cridical application simply allowed this tiny fragile signal of my cartridge to get to my phonostage unmolested. After a lengthy burnin time.One solid week on a cable cooker before use and another 250 plus hours logged on in my system, this wire disappeared out of the system allowing me to hear what my turntable and phonostage really had to offer for the first time.Nordost Valhalla and the Frey line are silver coated copper mono filiment.My preamp and phonostage are factory wired with silver coated copper wire also,the brand I don't know.Whatever the brand of wire used in my preamp I believe lends to this significate leap forward in musical performance.I have two sets of speakers that I switch depending on what type of music I'm in the mood for.In the 25 years that I have owned a pair of Quad electrostats since overhauled in the 1990s....I have never heard them sing like they do now,it really is a stunning revelation....This experience has left me with a firm belief that finding the right wires for your system is as important as anything else.